Unshed Tears
by daynaa
Summary: My first Miami fic:! Eric Calleigh. Set in season four after Urban Hellraisers. NOW COMPLETE!
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: If you didn't already guess, I do not own CSI: MIAMI, any of it's characters or anything to do with it at all. Ha, surprise, isn't it?

A/N: First crack at a CSI: Miami fanficiton... so if it's horrible, tell me lightly, okay? Thank you and I will update soon. I just have this thing against sleep... and I run on about three hours of ita night, which means I devote all the time between around eleven and three in the morning to writing and reading fanfiction, which usually allows me to update rather quickly. Please review with any comments or suggestions! I love challenges (if I am not opposed to what they are asking) and I love including other people's suggestions and challenges into my writing. Thanks a lot!

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"Cal, are you okay?" Eric Delko asked quietly as he entered his friend's office. She looked up at him and forced a smile.

"Hey Eric, I'm fine." She reassured him with a not so reassuring smile.

"Oh Cal, something really must be wrong because you're having trouble faking it, girl." Eric told her with a shy sort of grin. He took a few more steps into her office, shutting the door behind him. He settled down on the couch and started intently watching Calleigh's every move.

"Eric!" She exclaimed in an accusing tone.

"What?" He asked innocently with a smile to match.

"You don't have to sit there and watch me like that. I'm fine!" She told him giving her fake smile another try.

"What if I want to?" He suggested, raising an eyebrow.

"Eric!" She exclaimed again. But she knew it was working. It seemed Eric could always make her feel better, no matter what the situation was.

"Oh, come on Cal!" He smiled reassuringly, "Talk to me?" She just shook her head and started shuffling around some papers. She didn't want to admit to him that he was making everything better; it somehow made her feel dependant on him. He wouldn't always be there to rescue her and make all her pain go away. One day he'd be gone, just like everyone else. The thought of that made her face fall and tears gather in her eyes. She was not going to cry in front of Eric Delko. She was not. She couldn't let him see her like this.

"Please Eric, just leave me alone." She whispered stopping the shuffling. In all the time Eric had known Calleigh Duquesne he had never seen her close to tears. He'd never thought about her crying. If she had, she sure hadn't let anyone see her. He figured that the situation was one of the most vulnerable situations Calleigh had been in in the near past. He was trying to get her to look him in the eye, and she couldn't. She wouldn't. She was not going to let Eric Delko see her cry. But why not?

"Cal, I'm here for you." He told her getting up from his chair. She half hoped he was leaving, and half hoped he was going to stay and comfort her. She needed to let this all go. She had too many things kept to herself. She needed to let it all go… would Eric really stay and help her? She couldn't bring herself to look at him. She was too afraid. He sensed it in her. Why was it that he could always tell exactly how she felt? Why was it he always made the wrong decision. He knew he should stay and help Calleigh, but would she get angry with him for making her feel so vulnerable? He didn't care anymore. He'd been listening to his head for way too long, and it hadn't gotten him anywhere where Calleigh's trust and friendship were concerned. Sure, they were friends, there was trust there but Eric wished there was more. Calleigh did too. Both of them were too strong to admit it to the other, though so it would probably stay like that forever.

"Eric…" Calleigh started, but stopped. She couldn't formulate a sentence and hold in the tears at the same time. She wasn't strong enough, not right then. She needed Eric to hold her then more than any time. She needed someone to be there for her, and Eric wanted to be. He walked around to the other side of her desk and didn't hesitate before pulling her into a tight hug. It was exactly what Calleigh needed. Only when she felt how safe she was in Eric's strong embrace did she left a warm tear slip down her cheek and fall onto Eric's shirt. Eric removed one of his hands from it's present position on her back and he immediately felt Calleigh flinch the tiniest bit. He didn't know what was going on inside her head, why the slight movement of retreat caused such alarm to her. He quickly placed his hand in the midst of her beautiful blonde hair. He felt her relax a bit as she realized he wasn't going anywhere. He just made her feel even safer than she had previous to the slight change in position. They stood there for several minutes, Calleigh letting someone see her vulnerable like this for the first time in what seemed to be years. Something about Eric made her feel safe and willing to make herself vulnerable. She wasn't sure what it was, but with every escaping tear, she felt more and more relaxed. So they stood there, Calleigh all wrapped up in Eric's arms, crying silently while Eric whispered to her telling her everything would be fine. Calleigh knew Eric didn't know what was wrong in the first place, but he was helping her anyway. He was a good friend, and she was lucky to have him, she knew that. She was surprised that they had remained as close of friends as they were for so long. She no doubt knew that Eric was an attractive man, and got much attention from girls every where they went, even if he was with her and they were standing close enough to be mistaken for a couple. Calleigh also knew, although she wasn't at all conceded about it and would never admit it, that she wasn't all that bad looking herself. She knew if Eric was her boyfriend and he worked with someone that was good looking and single, she would strongly discourage him from spending so much time with her. Did that mean Eric was single? Or did that mean that she was possessive? All of her crazy thoughts made her smile, and when Eric noticed her smiling, he smiled as well. Luckily, they both decided after seeing the other smile that the hug had gone on long enough.

"Thanks for that Eric." Calleigh told him, still smiling. "And sorry about getting your shoulder a bit um, wet." Her cheeks reddened just the slightest bit when she said that. Eric didn't know why she was embarrassed about crying, but he didn't mind her blushing. It made her look even more beautiful than she normally did. Hard to imagine that possible.

"Calleigh, you never have to apologize for letting me comfort you. The pleasure was all mine." He told her with his cutest smile that made her knees feel weak. "And you're welcome, by the way, if you must insist on thanking me."

"Oh, Eric." She laughed. "Five minutes ago I was so upset and stressed out… and now you've made me feel happy, cheerful and energetic."

"That's the way you should be." He told her, "So stay that way." He advised with a smile. She just shook her head. He was thinking about asking her if she was at all interested in going out for something to eat, but he wasn't sure if he should. How could someone like Calleigh be single? But then again, why would she be sitting in her office on the verge of tears an hour after shift was over if she had someone to go home to? He decided to just try for it anyways. He had declined countless dinner, drink and many other types of invitations over the course of the last few months, and he knew very well why. He was in love with Calleigh. He hadn't confronted her, he hadn't asked her out, he had done nothing. He knew that he had to do something soon. He couldn't live the rest of his life in love with her and never tell her about it, especially if he wasn't going to go out with anyone else in the meantime. But, being the guy he was, he didn't think it was fair for him to take out a beautiful girl to dinner without having the slightest bit of attraction to her. Recently, the only girl he had eyes for was Calleigh… and he knew if he got rejected, it would break his heart, but he was breaking his own heart more slowly and painfully in the process, and at this rate, it didn't look as if any healing was in the near future. "Cal," He started. She had resumed shuffling papers around aimlessly on her desk during the few minutes of silent thinking that had just ticked away. When she heard him say her name, she dropped the file she was shuffling on the floor and her bright green eyes shone with embarrassment as she laughed and reached over to pick it up.

"Yes Eric?"

"Well… I was just wondering, are you hungry because we could go grab something to eat somewhere in a little while?" He suggested, trying not to cringe at how lame and nervous he must have sounded.

"Sounds great!" Calleigh answered enthusiastically, holding back a cringe of her own after realizing how quickly and eagerly she had responded.

"Awesome!" Eric exclaimed, his face breaking out into a huge grin, her's doing the same when she realized he didn't think she was a complete moron. "I'll pick you up around eight, okay?" He suggested, referring to a time approximately forty five minutes from the present. She counted to three in her head before answering that time. She had to redeem herself, even if it was completely silly.

"Works for me, see yeah then." She told him with a smile before grabbing her purse and heading out of her office towards the elevator with Eric in close pursuit.


	2. Chapter 2

CHAPTER TWO:

A/N: Okay! I'm sorry if that last chapter was confusing, I will try not to flip around from POV to POV so much… I'll work on it. Tell me if it's getting better/worse or what this chapter okay? Thanks to MedicWarrickLver for telling me that, and thanks to Carolshane, Adamsgirl and Carolina in the Cantina for the support. Ha, yes a hug from Eric would cure almost anything.

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Twenty minutes later, Calleigh was ripping her closet apart looking for something to wear. She hadn't been anywhere in what seemed like forever where she really cared about how she looked. But tonight she did. It was stupid really, because she had been close friends with Eric for so long that one appearance wasn't going to change a thing, but she still felt the need to look good. She finally found something near the back of the closet. "Shows how much I go out." She laughed to herself as she slipped the dress on. Fifteen minutes later Calleigh had cleaned up and was waiting for Eric to come pick her up. If she knew Eric, he'd be early, and he was. Four and a half minutes early to be exact. She pretended not to be sitting and waiting for him as he knocked on the door. She got up, turned off the TV and slowly opened the door.

"Hey Eric!" She exclaimed as she opened the door.

"Calleigh! Wow, you look gorgeous." He smiled appreciatively at her appearance. She was glad she hadn't overlooked the 'stupid idea' of caring that she looked good for the evening.

"Thanks, you too." She smiled back. "Just let me grab my purse and we'll get going okay?"

"Sure." He nodded, stepping inside while she went back into her bedroom to grab her purse. "Alright, let's go." He grabbed her hand and pulled her out the door. She laughed and walked quickly behind him, glad she had worn her lower heels rather than her favourite high ones.

"Are we walking?" She laughed as he continued leading her hand past their vehicles.

"We are walking." He smiled showing off his perfect, white teeth.

"I'm not falling for the angelic smile, Delko." She laughed, "Where are we going that we can walk to from here?"

"I'm not used to explaining myself on dates." He protested, still not giving up the mystery walking destination, "You're the first girl who hasn't gone for the smile Cal."

"Oh, I'm sure." She replied shaking her head, wondering what kind of girls Eric usually dated.

"No really!" He told her, "But I bet you're used to guys doing what you want because of your smile?" He asked with a raised eyebrow. She shook her head, thinking, what smile? And what guys?

"Eric, we all don't spend hour upon hours smiling at ourselves in the mirrors you know." She told him with a laugh, suddenly very conscious of her smile because she wasn't sure what he meant by the comment.

"That's what they all say." He shook his head with mock disbelief. "But all this smile talk really distracted you, didn't it?"

"It did." She agreed.

"So in a way, my smile still distracted you, didn't it?" He pressed.

"Are we on a date, or did you ask me to dinner to interrogate me?" She laughed.

"Avoid it if you'd like." He shrugged his shoulders flashing his teeth again. She shook her head.

"Really Eric, where are we going?" She persisted.

"Do you really, really want to know?"

"Of course I do, why else would I be asking you? There aren't any restaurants anywhere in comfortable walking distance. We don't have to walk really, really far do we Eric?" She whined.

"Calleigh, you're such a baby." He laughed, "Stop whining, we're almost there." She gave up. She would find out when they got wherever it was they were going. They walked in silence for a few minutes.

------ Switch POV -----

As they walked down the sidewalk, he was surprised she was still letting him hold her hand. He had just grabbed it to pull her past the cars and indicate they were walking, but she hadn't pulled away, and he didn't mind at all. He was watching her out of the corner of his eye as they walked. He didn't know how she could keep up with his pace which was fairly fast in those heels. He didn't know how any woman could walk in high heels at all, he thought they were crazy. Why does it matter if you're a few extra inches higher anyways? He loved watching Calleigh. The way she moved, the way she looked, the way emotions due to the thoughts she was thinking or what she was saying if in conversation played across her face. Most of the time, if he watched carefully enough, he could tell what she was thinking, and how she felt. He loved that about her. He loved everything about her. He squeezed her hand and broke the silence, "Over here Cal." She gave him a confused look, but followed him. They crossed the street and headed onto the boardwalk of the beach continuing the same way they had been before.

"Eric, I'm asking you one last time, where are we going?" She demanded. It made him smile. She was so determined to figure it out.

"Right over here. It should take us another two minutes…" He started but she cut him off which made him smile even more. His dates usually consisted of him driving a girl to a restaurant, some talking about nothing really important or memorable, him flashing some smiles and then depending on the night, and the girl, maybe something more afterwards, but with Calleigh, it was different. It could have been because even though she was more beautiful than any of the other girls that he dated, she wasn't just going out with him because he had looks and a handsome smile; she was dating him because she liked him. Loved him? He hoped so. She wasn't just one of those girls that you could pick up anywhere, she was special. She was brilliant, funny, confident, independent and tough, the list went on forever. She was his dream girl, and she was actually going out with him because she liked him as a friend and hopefully more.

"Eric, Eric!" She called with a smile on her face.

"Sorry, what?" He asked, embarrassed that he had been so caught up in his thoughts he hadn't bee listening to her.

"Is that where we're going?" She pointed to a spot in the distance in the sand. He followed her gaze to the spot he had set up earlier. This end of the beach was completely deserted, it always was.

"Yep, that's where we're going." He nodded with a smile. He hoped she liked it. He'd gone to the store right after he left work and bought some food then went home, cooked it and cleaned up. He grabbed a picnic basket and a nice blanket and packed the food up nicely in it. He'd gone down to the spot on the beach and set everything up. They both took off their shoes as they left the boardwalk and headed onto the cool sand. Calleigh squealed when the sand made contact with her feet.

"You could have just told me this is where we were coming." She told him with a smile.

"Yeah, but I wanted to _surprise _you." He shot back. They both shook their heads and sat down by the basket.

"Do you usually have a picnic on the beach for your first date Eric?" She asked him as he was getting the food out.

"Nah, I usually save it for like the fifth date." He told her with a smirk, "You're my exception."

"I see." She nodded with a smirk of her own, "I'm guessing you usually attract girl by your looks, and if you cooked for them on your first date, you wouldn't seem as attractive and masculine?" She guessed, wiping the smirk right off his face.

"And how do _you _get dates then, Calleigh?" He shot back, his smirk returning.

"What are you implying Eric?" She asked, raising an eyebrow at him. His smirk turned into a teeth bearing smile and he took his time answering.

"That you're beautiful." He answered looking up to meet her eyes. He could tell she was slightly taken aback by the comment because she took a minute before opening her mouth to reply. He didn't know if she'd take offence or what she'd do. It was one of those times that he couldn't read the emotions off her face.

"So is that why you asked me out to dinner?" She asked. He hadn't meant to make her feel like that at all. Dammit Delko, what have you done now, he thought. She thought he asked her out because she was beautiful and he didn't have another date for the night?

"Calleigh, you know me better than that. I asked you out to dinner because I am in love with you." He confessed. He was staring right at her, but her eyes were transfixed on her fingers which were drawing patterns in the sand.

"You're in love with me?" She asked. Her fingers stopped moving and she looked up and met his gaze.

"Yeah." He nodded, "Whatcha gonna do about it?" He teased, trying to lighten the mood a bit. He was waiting for an answer when she caught him off guard by capturing his lips with her own. The kissed lasted for a moment before she pulled away.

"That." She answered a smile playing on the corners of her lips.

"I have no arguments." He told her as she uncovered the food and handed her a fork. "Let's eat."

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ANOTHER A/N: Okay, less confusing I hope. Please review and let me know what you think about it… there will be more soon. Right now it is after three in the morning, and I'm still not tired… because I slept in today (gotta love snow days!) but I have a voice lesson earlier than I like to get up tomorrow morning, so I better at least try to get some sleep although I'll probably end up writing another chapter of some story, maybe this one. Ttyl!


	3. Chapter 3

CHAPTER 3

A/N: Ahh! Okay, glad that chapter was better! Thanks again for MedicWarrickLver for reviewing and letting me know how I'm doing with that. Chapter three…

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They ate in silence for they were both still a bit shocked by their kiss. "Eric, who knew you were such a great cook?" Calleigh joked as she and Eric were finishing up their picnic dinner. It really was a good dinner. He could cook better than she could!

"Ah, it wasn't that good." He protested modestly with a smile.

"So I see modesty is another one of those date-getting qualities as well." She joked wanting to see how he'd reply.

"Now that is one you don't have, Cal." He told her, trying to keep his face serious. She gave him a light punch in the arm, and he faked getting hurt.

"Eric you are such a girl." She shook her head, rolling her eyes.

"See that's what I mean, you have to save the picnic for the fifth date or until you have already proved your masculinity otherwise or you'll get called a girl." He told her, his face serious, but a smile evident in his eyes.

"Eric how long have I known you?" She asked him with a slight chuckle.

"A long time, why is that funny?" He answered with a curious look.

"If I've known you this long, and you haven't yet proved your masculinity, how much chance is there that you're going to?" She laughed. She loved how they could have conversations like this one, and the one they had on their way to the beach. She loved the way they could say anything they wanted around each other. She couldn't believe that he said he loved her. She had kissed him, but she hadn't told him she loved him. Not yet. Did he really mean it? Or was he just saying it because it sounded right?

"Thanks for the vote of confidence." He smiled, once again flaunting his teeth. It made Calleigh's chuckle developed into a loud laugh. He really did love to flash his teeth. She wasn't sure if he was kidding or not before when he'd said that his appearance was what got him all his dates, but now she figured he was telling the truth. "What did I say that's so funny now?" He asked, still showing off the teeth.

"You didn't say anything… it's more like what you did. You just can't stop showing off your teeth. I thought you were kidding when you said that's how you got all your dates, but you weren't, were you?" She told him honestly, her laughter dying back into a smile.

"Wasn't kidding one bit. That's why I hardly ever have any relationships, I guess. The kinds of girls that go for me are the kinds that have a different guy every night. They're flirty, hot and don't like attachments. I guess I'm pegged as being the same way." He shrugged.

"Well, I guess they don't know what they're missing out on." Calleigh told him with another smile. She could tell Eric thought about this a lot, and it bothered him a lot too. She wondered what 'kind' of girl she was, but she wasn't about to ask him right then, she'd save that discussion for later.

"What do you mean by that?" He asked, obviously confused. She smiled; he could be pretty naive sometimes.

"I mean that they are missing out on a lot, only wanting a one night stand from you. You're a great guy, and although I admit you do have good looks, you've got a lot more than that to offer, Delko." She laughed, taking in the hint of surprise and an even tinier hint of blushing she got off his face.

"You know, I didn't ask you out to dinner so you could make me feel better." He told her. She shrugged and was glad she made him feel better. They sat there for a few more minutes picking away at the end of the picnic. How had such lively conversation turned into such awkward silence so fast?

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Eric really didn't have any clue what was running through Calleigh's mind. First, they had been joking around like they always were. Then he had made the joking into something more serious and she had kissed him. And then they had eaten, then she had called him a girl and then called him attractive and now they were sitting in awkward silence. He didn't know what to say, and he hated when things got like that between him and Calleigh.

"So," He stated blankly in hopes of sparking a conversation.

"So," Calleigh repeated the word just as blankly as he had. "What kind of girl am I Eric?" Calleigh smiled at him, and he just looked at her for a minute. What kind of girl was she, he thought. He wasn't exactly sure what she meant, until he remembered what he'd said earlier. _They're flirty, hot and don't like attachments._ What kind of girl was Calleigh? It was a good question. He would have to think about this one very carefully. Calleigh was the most amazing girl he'd ever met, and he was in love with her. She was his kind of girl, but what kind was that exactly? If he told her that, she'd connect it back to what he had said earlier. Calleigh… she was beautiful, absolutely beautiful, smart, funny, honest, although she didn't seem to like attachments, it wasn't for the same reason as all those other girls.

"You Calleigh Duquesne are not like any other kind of girl." Eric finally decided upon an answer. He smiled at her, and watched as she tried to figure out what he meant by that. "I mean, you are the most beautiful girl I've ever seen, but you're not like the rest of those beautiful girls. You're smart, and funny and independent, and everything that a guy could ever dream of."

"Eric, you're making me blush!" She exclaimed with a small smile. He didn't understand why she was embarrassed when it was the perfect truth.

"Although all of that is completely true, it is, what I'm really trying to tell you is, I love you. I love you more than anything in the world."

"Eric, I love you too." They just sat there, smiling at each other for what seemed like forever until Eric laid back in the sand, and Calleigh rested her head on his chest. It had gotten darker by this point, and they were still the only ones in sight on the beach. And they didn't mind at all. They lay there together; the only sounds were the waves washing up and down along the sand, and their breathing. If only a moment could last forever…


	4. Chapter 4

CHAPTER 4

"As much as I'm enjoying this, we should probably get home, you know." Eric sighed. Calleigh nodded and sat up. She didn't have a clue how long they'd been talking, eating and lying on the beach. They quickly and quietly packed up the picnic supplies and headed off.

"I had an amazing time tonight Eric." She told him as they walked, hand in hand, down the boardwalk.

"Me too, I'm really glad we did this." Eric agreed, giving her hand a squeeze. It had been a great night, a great dinner, and the conversations had been funny at times, but the best part was that they admitted their love for each other. Calleigh didn't know exactly where they went from where they were now though. She loved Eric more than she realized before than night, and she wanted to be with him, and that was all that really mattered. They walked the rest of the way back to Calleigh's house in silence, just enjoying the moment and each other's company, lost in their thoughts. When they finally reached Eric's ride, he put the picnic basket and other supplies inside then shut the passenger door. Calleigh looked up as Eric turned around and they were face to face. Neither hesitated as they leaned in for their second kiss of the night. Finally, they had to pull apart for oxygen, but her lips remained only inches from his.

"I have to go, we have work tomorrow." He whispered.

"Do you have to?" She whined with a smile.

"Yeah." He nodded, wishing more than anything in the world he didn't.

"Fine, I guess you'd better go." She smiled against his lips before they kissed for the last time that night.

"See yeah." He whispered before squeezing her hand and getting into the drivers side of the car. Calleigh sighed as she watched him drive away. She just hoped that they would only go forward in their relationship from here.

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Eric sighed as he drove away from Calleigh's house. It took every bit of responsibility he had to make himself drive away, but he knew that they couldn't take things too fast; it wouldn't be good for either of them. He loved Calleigh, and if something happened like he, and after tonight, he was sure she as well, wanted it to, he wanted it to last for a very long time, forever if she'd let it, and rushing into things wouldn't help. He couldn't believe how amazingly well the picnic had turned out, and he was still having trouble getting over the fact that Calleigh was in love with him, Eric Delko. He turned on the radio and hummed along the rest of the way home, Calleigh loved him. He was the happiest, luckiest man in the world.

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As Calleigh stepped inside her house after Eric drove away, ending the most amazing, romantic evening in her whole life, she immediately went into denial. Had this night really happened? Was Eric Delko really in love with her? She couldn't believe it, but apparently it was true. She changed into her pajamas and sat down on her couch with a bowl of ice cream. She turned the TV on, but her thoughts were else where, specifically thinking of Eric. He was an amazing kisser, not that she had expected any less from a guy like him… but really, why was a guy like Eric in love with her? 'Stop doubting it, he is.' She told herself. Letting out a small chuckle, she decided to head off to bed and attempt to sleep, but she doubted she would. Placing her empty bowl in the sink, she walked slowly to her bedroom and settled in for the night. Within fifteen minutes, sleep, and more specifically, dreams of Eric, claimed her.

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A/N: Okay, so it took me FOREVER to update, and it was really short ,but I really am having trouble with it right now. Any suggestions would be GREATLY appreciated! Thanks a lot for reviews thus far, what did you think of this?


	5. Chapter 5

CHAPTER 5

A/N: Haha, k I think I am one of the slowest people ever. I haven't updated this story in a bagillion years, and my Christmas stories aren't done yet, and I haven't even got around to posting my Valentines Day ones, haha ohwell. Anyways, new chapter here:

PS: I'm pretending that Yelina didn't leave at the end of 10-7 and Raymond is still dead… okay.

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The next morning, Eric ran into the lab on the verge of being late. He had overslept once he had finally gotten to sleep, he forgot to turn on his alarm, and his car wouldn't start. It had been the morning from hell, but walking past Eric Delko that morning, you wouldn't have known that, in fact, judging by his smile, an onlooker would have guessed it had been a perfect morning, but it was the lasting effect of a perfect evening the night before.

"Hey Eric!" Ryan called from somewhere down the hall. "You're with me today; we've got a DB down at the beach."

"Alright, I'll meet you outside in five okay?" Eric called back before entering the break room hoping to find Calleigh there. He didn't, and he didn't have time to go looking for her because there was a possibility that she'd already left for her case presumably with Horatio, and she wouldn't be back for hours. Besides, he couldn't mix work relationship with personal relationship, and if he was late for a case the first day he and Calleigh had a romantic sort of personal relationship, it wouldn't look good at all. He had to remember that they had to prove they could keep things professional at work so that when the time came to tell Horatio about their relationship, he'd be able to keep them on the same team. Well if he were going to be keeping things professional, he should probably get to his case with Ryan instead of daydreaming in the hallway, so off he went to the front of the building to find Ryan.

--&

Calleigh was seated in the passenger seat of Horatio's hummer as he drove towards their first crime scene of the day: double homicide at a local club. "You okay Calleigh?" Horatio asked. Calleigh had been unusually quiet that morning, very unlike her, and he wanted to make sure everything was okay.

"Yeah, I'm great." She smiled. "I just have a lot on my mind this morning."

"Alright." Horatio didn't say anymore, for he was a man of few words. Calleigh let her mind drift back into thoughts of Eric- what else would she be thinking about? She couldn't get her mind around the fact that they'd confessed their love for each other the previous night. She almost wanted to laugh out loud at how backwards they were. They'd been best friends for pretty well five years and they confessed their love before they went on an official date. But Calleigh was hoping their backwardness was a sign that their relationship was different than every other she'd been in, because pretty well all of those that she could think of at the moment had ended terribly, or tragically, like the one with John Hagen for example.

"Calleigh?" Horatio's voice pulled her out of her thoughts, and she looked up and realized they were at the crime scene.

"Sorry." She nearly blushed.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Horatio double checked.

"I'm fine Horatio, really. I'm thinking good thoughts." Calleigh smiled, and it reassured him enough for him to walk away in search of Yelina, who was the detective on the case. Calleigh got out and approached the entrance of the club, inwardly groaning after coming to the realization that many of the bar's patrons from the time of the murder hadn't been released from the scene yet. Figured, since it was one of the most popular clubs in town that week, it was packed to the limit, well probably more than the limit knowing Miami clubs and their craving for as much money as they could rake in. Calleigh decided she'd see if any of the club goers would tell her anything they wouldn't tell the cops. She pulled her sweater down over her gun and badge and headed over to a group of onlookers. "Hey," She smiled, trying to look like a normal, weirded out citizen.

"Hey!" A guy who looked to be in his late twenties, early thirties smiled brightly at her, obviously taking in her appearance.

"Do you know what's going on?" Calleigh hoped he would know something.

"Weren't you in the club last night too?" The guy inquired, obviously wondering why Calleigh was asking him these questions, which could be a sign that he knew something that the average person at that club didn't know.

"I was passed out in my friends' car." Calleigh though of a quick excuse.

"Oh." The man smiled as if he knew what she was going through. "Bad headache now, I bet?"

"Nah." Calleigh shrugged, "I don't get hangovers."

"Lucky," The guy seemed to finally buy into her story. "Well two guys got shot."

"Yeah, that's what I've been hearing, but I want to know more." Calleigh sighed, earning a raised eyebrow from the guy. "Inquisitive nature." Calleigh smirked.

"I can tell." He laughed softly. "I didn't get your name?"

"Calleigh." Calleigh told him with her sweetest smile. "And yours?" She batted her eyelashes. She knew that this guy knew more than he was letting on…

"Harrison." He smiled back.

"Soo… you don't know anything other than two guys got shot?" Calleigh asked, trying to sound innocent.

"Well I might." Harrison smiled mischievously, "But why do you really want to know? And don't say inquisitive nature again."

"Okay." Calleigh smiled, rolled her eyes flirtatiously, "So I kind of have a thing for bad boys…"

"You want to know who shot these guys so you can sleep with them?" Harrison's eyes nearly bulged out of his head.

"Yeah..." Calleigh tried to feign nervousness, as if Harrison was going to think less of her, or judge her because of this.

"Oh." Harrison looked as if he was deciding to tell her more or not. Just then, Calleigh's cell phone rang.

"Hello?" She asked, staying in "character".

"Calleigh what are you doing?" Came Horatio's voice over the phone.

"What do you mean?" Calleigh hoped Horatio would get the idea that she was trying to get information without Harrison knowing.

"Are you interrogating a suspect without him knowing you're doing so?" Horatio was trying to keep his voice strict but Calleigh could tell he was amused by this.

"Maybe" She smirked.

"Are you getting anything useful or do you want to come help me do your job?" Horatio asked.

"Oh I'm doing quite well thank you." Calleigh twisted a strand of blonde hair around her finger, as she knew Harrison's eyes were following her every move.

"Okay, just don't get yourself in trouble…" Horatio warned.

"Alright, talk to you later." Calleigh snapped the phone shut, and on the other end not too far away, Horatio just shook his head. "Sorry about that," Calleigh threw Harrison a sympathetic look which he brushed off with a shrug.

"No problem," He replied. "So… maybe I have more information than I already gave you?"

"Really?" Calleigh's eyes lit up.

"Yeah." Harrison was looking to impress her now. He was exactly where Calleigh needed him. He looked around again and decided there was no one close enough around them to hear what they were saying. "I got paid ten grand to pick up a gun from a certain location, get it into the club, and shoot two guys."

"How did you know what guys to shoot?" Calleigh wondered.

"He gave me pictures." Harrison explained quickly. He didn't want Calleigh to doubt him. Calleigh was amazed that Harrison was so worried that she was going to doubt him that he didn't worry about how many questions she was asking.

"What kind of gun was it?" She asked.

"Kel-Tech P11, Semi Automatic." Harrison answered, and Calleigh smiled, knowing she'd get to fire it later.

"Do you still have it on you?" Her eyes twinkled with excitement.

"Sure, the cops came right away… haven't had time to get away yet… they took down my name early and it would have look suspicious if I left, you know?" Harrison answered.

"Yeah I totally understand." Calleigh nodded. "Can I see it?" Harrison nodded and lifted up his extremely lose shirt slightly, revealing the gun. Calleigh whistled softly under her breath. It was a nice gun, one of her favourites. "It's a surprise that people didn't suspicious of you wearing that shirt, with your sexy muscles underneath…" Calleigh played him. Harrison just smiled. Calleigh wasn't sure where to go from there. She couldn't exactly just come out and tell him she was a CSI and he was under arrest considering he had his gun and could try and get a shot at her even though he did seem pretty inexperienced at killing people, he had just killed two. "Shit what time is it?" Calleigh had to make up an excuse to get out of there, even if it was only for a few minutes.

"Umm… ten o'clock." Harrison looked at the clock on his phone.

"Shit, I'll be back in like two minutes… my friend will start looking for me once she's realized I've waken up and wandered off." Calleigh made up something off the top of her head.

"Alright." Harrison looked disappointed.

"I'll go grab my stuff, tell my friend I'm good and we'll go somewhere… quieter?" Calleigh asked suggestively, and Harrison just nodded vigorously before Calleigh walked off in search of Horatio. She pulled out her phone.

"Horatio." He answered.

"Horatio, I found our killer." Calleigh told him.

"You found our killer?" Horatio repeated, as a question.

"Yes." Calleigh nodded, "He's a newbie… eager to share."

"Right." Horatio said as he pondered something in his head. "Shall I send someone to arrest him?"

"He's armed with a Kel-Tech P11, Semi Automatic that should still have eight shots in it if he only fired two." Calleigh warned him.

"And we don't want you around when we make the arrest or we're asking to end up in a hostage situation." Horatio thought aloud. "How'd you get away for the moment?"

"I'm going to get my stuff before heading off with him." Calleigh explained regretfully.

"Well why don't you go carry out that plan, and we'll go talk to our guy who is where?" Horatio asked.

"By the fountain beyond the main entrance." Calleigh told him as she continued walking until she was around the side of the building and out of Harrison's line of sight for sure.

"Alright. You stay where you are okay?" Horatio regretted letting Calleigh do this 'undercover investigation' of sorts.

"Got it." Calleigh told him, before Horatio hung up.

"Me too." Came a voice from behind her, making her close her eyes as she was instructed not to turn around.

--&

A/N: Hahaha. I started this story like a month ago and wrote like half a paragraph and finished it today. So I took it a new direction and added some drama of sorts, well I hope it was exciting… not too Calleigh/Eric-ish this chapter but we'll get back there soon! Review pleaseee and thankyou too. And thanks for reading!

!


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

A/N: First of all, thanks for the reviews guys!! UGH! So I just got my computer properly working again today… it's been like two weeks now since it's worked right and since I've had Microsoft word! I was going crazy hah so I apologize for the wait! Here we are…

--&

"_Alright. You stay where you are okay?" Horatio regretted letting Calleigh do this 'undercover investigation' of sorts._

"_Got it." Calleigh told him, before Horatio hung up._

"_Me too." Came a voice from behind her, making her close her eyes as she was instructed not to turn around._

--&

"Do not turn around." The voice instructed her.

"How long were you listening to my conversation?" Calleigh asked as she tried to get herself under control.

"Long enough." The voice answered noncommittally.

"What the hell does that mean?" Calleigh spun around, letting her frustration and anger get the better of her.

"It doesn't mean anything anymore."

"Just tell me what you want this time." Calleigh sighed. She was tired of these games. She couldn't express how relieved she'd been when she was sure they were over, and she'd let herself open up, even if it was the tiniest bit, to Eric and now the games were starting all over again. "You're not taking over my life again."

"Keep on wishing that Cal."

"I told you I was done with your games. Just leave me alone." Calleigh pleaded.

"Sorry sweetie, no can do."

"What the hell do you mean, 'no can do'" Calleigh demanded. "It's your decision to torture me this way… you could stop at any time you like if you weren't a psycho!" Her attackers movements ceased for a moment, for Calleigh knew how resentful her attacker was of certain things.

"We don't want things to get out of control here do we?" Came the drastically changed voice.

"No, no we don't." Calleigh recognized the change as the abusive personality in her quite messed up attacker's personality.

"Good girl." And that's when the attacker made her first mistake. Calleigh quickly shrugged out of her loosened grip while kneeing the attacker in the stomach and driving her elbow into her attack's chest, successfully knocking the breath out of her. Turning around and gaining confidence in her sudden gain of power, Calleigh shoved her attacker on the ground and pinned her there. By this time, a small crowd had gathered around the two women as it probably appeared that there was an argument that got out of hand. Horatio, luckily, was the first officer to make it around the corner and he immediately reached for his radio.

"Whatever you do, do not address CSI Duquesne as CSI Duquesne. It would be best for her and everyone else's safety if you address her as a regular citizen, thank you." Horatio requested. He knew that their guy would have likely taken this opportunity to get away, but he was waiting for Calleigh, which would make him stick around and check out the action. The last thing they needed was their murderer opening fire out of anger on Calleigh or anyone else for that matter because he found out he was being played, or charmed, rather. Horatio then ran up to where Calleigh was pinning the mystery woman down. She must have had a good reason. "Miss, could you get up please?" Horatio offered her his hand as he would to any woman in this situation. Calleigh glanced at him in confusing for a minute before connecting the dots in her head. She took Horatio's hand and let him pull her up. He then offered his hand and pulled up the other woman. "Could you two ladies please tell me your names?" Horatio asked.

"Calleigh." Calleigh answered, trying to keep her face straight and serious.

"Michelle." The attacker answered.

"Alright Calleigh, Michelle, can you two tell me why you were fighting?" Horatio asked, making both women feel like the principal in grade school was interrogating them.

"Well Michelle attacked me from behind and threatened me… she told me not to turn around, then I did because I got too frustrated with her to comply. Then she threatened me some more and said she had to do it, but I know she didn't, she's just psycho, and then she loosened her grip on me and I kneed and elbowed her then pinned her down so she couldn't hurt me." Calleigh explained nearly all in one breath. Horatio noticed a few things that were odd or explained other things in Calleigh's explanation. First of all, she'd used her attacker's first name which indicated she was familiar with the other woman, and Calleigh claimed she "she said she had to do it, but I know she didn't" which meant not only was Calleigh familiar with the other woman but she knew a great deal about her.

"And your side of the story Michelle?" Horatio turned to face the other woman.

"I… don't have anything to say." Michelle told Horatio, avoiding his gaze.

"Alright then. Calleigh, you're free to go for now as soon as you give one of the officers contact information if you would so we can contact you if we have any further questions considering you claim to be the victim, Michelle isn't denying anything and we can easily confirm things from witness' statements as well." Horatio explained. Calleigh nodded gratefully and walked off. She went over to one of the officers she wasn't familiar with and gave him her cell phone number and home phone number then went off in search of Harrison. She would have to forget Michelle for now because she had work to do.

--&

Back at the lab, Ryan and Eric were running over the evidence from their B&E that morning when Horatio called Eric. "Delko."

"Eric, it's Horatio." Horatio told him in case he didn't know.

"H, what's up?" Eric asked, detecting a hint of worry in his boss's voice.

"Calleigh's taken off with our murderer from this morning." Horatio told him, and Eric nearly dropped the phone. What did he mean 'taken off'?

"Taken off as in ran away?" Eric clarified.

"No, well sort of. She's doing her own brand of undercover investigating. She noticed the suspect take quite a liking to her and played it up a bit. He said he'd tell her the details somewhere quieter. Then she got in a fight of sorts with another woman while she was getting her things together, as she told the guy. It appears the woman attacked her and Calleigh fought back and won." Horatio tried to explain the morning's events thus far.

"You just let her go off with a murderer?" Eric couldn't believe what he was hearing. "How could you do that?"

"Eric, relax. Calleigh has her gun with her, the guy is a newbie and Calleigh is no doubt a better shot than him and better trained in self-defense as well. She volunteered; we have to let her run with this. It was a hired hit and could go higher up than we can imagine. We need to catch this guy before he gets cocky Eric. The reason I called you right away was that although I have complete confidence in Calleigh, I need you to get Tyler to track the GPS unit that I slipped into Calleigh's pocket alright? Then I need you to go to wherever they go. Calleigh's smart. She'll keep them in more public areas somehow. I need to you to blend in and follow them, alright Eric?"

"Got it H." Eric nodded as they both hung up the phone. "Wolfe, I've got to go."

"What's wrong?" Ryan asked, the conversation had sounded pretty serious.

"Calleigh." Was all Eric said before leaving in search of Tyler.

--&

A/N: Okay so I hope that was an alright chapter. Reviews anyone? I'll love you lots! Hah. Ttyl, and thanks for reading!


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven:

A/N: Thank you to everyone who reviewed! It's so hot around here now; I do not like it, especially in phys-ed. I actually want some cold back, but ohwell. Schools out in THREE DAYS then three exams and it's SUMMER! I just have to pass my math exam hahaha. Anyways, here we go:

--&

"Hey!" She heard Harrison call from a few meters away. She turned and smiled brightly at him, and he blushed, knowing that smile was directed at him.

"Hey!" She gave him a tiny hug as she reached him, which made him blush even redder. She had him wrapped right around her finger, which is exactly where she needed him. "Ready to go?"

"Yeah." He nodded. "Was it you who just got into a fight over there?"

"Yeah." Calleigh nodded, her smile getting bigger. "Some bitchy girl who was mad at me over something from the past."

"Okay." Harrison didn't seem too concerned over it. As long as she still wanted him, he was a happy man.

"So where's your car?" Calleigh inquired.

"Over there. It's the yellow convertible." He seemed to be quite proud of this fact. Calleigh, on the other hand, didn't understand why he would choose such a bright, attention grabbing car, to use while killing someone, as it would draw more attention than necessary.

"Hot ride." Was all she said out loud. As they drove away, Calleigh shot one last reassuring look at Horatio, who didn't look all that reassured, but she wasn't worried. She had her gun, she knew for a fact that she was a better, and quicker, shot than this newbie killer, and he was smitten with her.

"Where to?" He asked. At first, she wasn't sure why he was asking her where to go then shit- I told him I was going to sleep with him!

"Actually, I'm pretty hungry. I haven't eaten anything since yesterday morning." Calleigh played it cool, and Harrison didn't suspect a thing.

"Alright." He nodded and drove downtown Miami where they would go to a restaurant and eat lunch.

--&

Eric had found Tyler and explained the situation, and Tyler had dropped his other cases immediately and began tracking the GPS Horatio had slipped into Calleigh's pocket, probably unbeknownst to her. "We've got a connection!" He exclaimed, causing Eric, who had drifted into his thoughts, to jump slightly, then smile.

"Great!" Eric knew Calleigh most likely was not in any immediate danger, but she could be, and even if she wasn't, she could eventually be, and he wanted, he needed, to be there to save her. "I'll go to the co-ordinates, you can keep me updated on which direction they're going in?"

"They're not going in any direction. They've stopped downtown Miami, presumably to get something to eat." Tyler told him, "Relax, and get there as soon as you can under the speed limit, Calleigh's got things under control Eric. She can do her job."

"I know… I just worry." Eric sighed. "But I'm going to go." And with that, he left.

--&

"Do you have a last name Michelle?" Horatio asked, returning to the girl who had attacked Calleigh.

"Swank." Michelle answered coldly. "Why'd you pretend she wasn't a police officer?" Michelle asked, referring to Calleigh, obviously.

"That," Horatio told her, "Isn't your concern. But why you attacked her is mine."

"It was a random attack." Michelle tried, but Horatio, being the lie detector machine he was, didn't buy it.

"Ms. Swank, don't try and tell me that it was a random attack. You know too much about her, and her about you, for that to be true." Horatio shook his head disapprovingly at her.

"I want a lawyer." Michelle requested. She wasn't about to blow her cover now.

--&

"I've never eaten here before." Calleigh remarked as they were waiting for their food to arrive.

"It's delicious, you'll love it." Harrison told her.

"Great." Calleigh smiled brightly.

"So where do you want to go after this?" Harrison asked. He was obviously eager to sleep with Calleigh, as any man would be.

"I'm not sure, I can't think straight until I eat." Calleigh laughed slightly, hoping he bought it, which he did. She wasn't sure how much longer she could hold off though. He was rather persistent, and she really did not want to sleep with him. Then, out of the corner of her eye, she saw Eric, and sighed in relief. Luckily, he didn't have his badge or gun showing, so if worse came to worse, she could leave with Eric and let the guy go for now. But she did have all lunch to get more information on him. They could easily arrest him based on the fact he had admitted to the murder but she needed to find out who hired him. As the waiter brought their food, Eric caught Calleigh's eye and she gave him a tiny but reassuring nod.

"I'm just going to go to the bathroom before the food comes…" Harrison told her, setting his keys and cell phone down on the table as he got up. Calleigh just smiled and nodded, astounded by his stupidity. As soon as he rounded the corner of the restaurant towards where she presumed the washrooms were, she grabbed his cell phone and started looking through his contacts to see if she could find who was his hire.

"Calleigh." She heard Eric's voice as she began transferring the contacts from his cell phone to hers.

"Hi Eric." She sighed, not looking up, as she continued to transfer contacts.

"What the hell are you doing!" He demanded quietly as he sat down in the chair beside her.

"Catching a murder?" She told him as if it was a completely normal thing to do. Before he could continue arguing with her, the cell phone rang, and their eyes met in a mix of fear, excitement and amusement. "Hello?" She answered.

"Who the hell is this?" A deep male voice asked.

"My name is Calleigh, I'm Harrison's girlfriend." She answered, and refrained from laughing at the sour look Eric had on his face at that comment.

"Wasn't aware he had one, isn't that sweet?" The voice cooed mockingly, and now Calleigh made a face.

"He's not able to take your call at the moment, who is it? I'll tell him you called." Calleigh told the voice.

"It's Rich. Tell him I need proof by tonight." Rich said.

"Okay Rich, will do. Bye!" Calleigh was pleased as she hung up the phone. He had to be the hire.

"Who was it?" Eric wondered.

"The hire. Rich." Calleigh explained, knowing their time was running out. "Pretend to be my brother."

"What?" Eric was confused now.

"Hey babe." Harrison gave Calleigh a peck on the cheek as he returned to the table, obviously being more forward to let Eric know that Calleigh was his although deception aside, it was the other way around.

"Hi! This is my brother, Eric." Calleigh tried not to giggle as she said it. She knew this would bother the hell out of Eric.

"So how long have you been dating my sister?" Eric asked angrily.

"A while." Harrison supplied. "Did someone call Cal?"

"Rich. He said he needed proof by tonight." Calleigh supplied. "Was it about earlier today?"

"Yeah." Harrison nodded and Calleigh could almost have kissed him then. He had to be the stupidest man she had ever talked to.

"Was there a reason you paid me this visit Eric?" Calleigh asked, turning her attention back to her 'brother'. Her southern accent was thicker than ever, as she was still working to keep Harrison captivated, but boy, was it working on Eric as well.

"Mom's sick, we need to go to the hospital, now." Eric thought quickly. Okay, it was lame, but so was this man, whoever he was. And he was not letting Calleigh alone with him. He wasn't going to watch him do any more than kiss her on the cheek because he wanted to rip the guy to shreds. Who was he, thinking he was good enough to kiss Calleigh?

"Again?" Calleigh played along, exasperatedly.

"Yeah. She had a relapse." Eric sighed. "We've got to go now."

"Harrison?" Calleigh turned her head. "I'll call you when I can okay?"

"Okay." He nodded, defeated. "See you later."

"Bye!" She called, trying her best to sound disappointed, but who could blame her when Eric had just rescued her? He was her hero, but she'd thank him for that later.

A/N: Awkward chapter ending? Yeah, thought so! Hah. Reviews would be greatly appreciated! Now I must stop procrastinating, and go do my English homework. UGH. Thanks for reading!


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight:

A/N: So it's nearly six in the morning, but I'm not tired yet, least I don't think I am… I feel kind of spinny, but that's okay hah I enjoy that feeling. So here we go!

--&

"Calleigh!" Horatio called from down the hallway as he spotted the short blonde stepping off the elevator.

"Thanks again Eric!" She called, as their Cuban co-worker headed off in another direction.

"I need to talk to you about the attack this morning." Horatio told her.

"I know." Calleigh nodded. "And I got a name of the man who hired Harrison, the guy that shot the vic. Eric's running the name now. And, well if all else fails, I got his number too." She brought Horatio up to speed.

"Great." Horatio commented, a little worried. He had been all morning, ever since he let Calleigh go off on her undercover investigation. He knew she was more than capable of handling herself, as she was a firearms specialist, a better shot than him, and was diversely trained in self defence, but she was still Calleigh, and he always felt the divine need to protect her. "We'll deal with that case later. We have an officer involved attack to tend to first, okay?" Horatio told her. He guessed that Michelle Swank probably had something to do with what happened at the club that morning, which could mean Calleigh had something to do with it as well. That was his first priority at them moment.

"Okay." Calleigh sighed. "Which interrogation room are you using?" She hated being interrogated.

"Two." He told her with a sigh. He hated interrogating his CSIs.

"See you there in five." She told him, heading off down the hallway towards said room. She was not looking forward to this interrogation. She hated talking about anything from her past, and Michelle was one of the last things she would wish to talk about when forced to do so. But if she refused, she knew how that looked, and she didn't want to go there. So, she would tell Horatio what he needed to know, and hopefully end this thing once and for all.

--&

Eric watched for a few moments while Calleigh talked to Horatio. They both looked mildly frustrated. He knew that there were things about that morning he didn't know, but he was sure that if it was anything important, Calleigh would tell him later. As Calleigh left Horatio and headed off down the hallway, Eric also left his spot leaning against the wall and headed to his lab where he could run the name Calleigh had given him through some databases. As he entered the lab, he was stopped by Ryan's voice calling him down the hallway.

"Delko!" The younger man hurried to catch up to him.

"What's up Wolfe?" Eric asked. It wasn't a secret that he didn't overly like the newest edition to their team, but it was a secret that he was starting to warm up to the guy just a bit as he began to realize that Ryan really wasn't trying to take Speedle's place.

"What's up with Calleigh today?" Ryan asked.

"I'm not really too sure." Eric shrugged. He really wasn't and he was the last person that wanted to start spreading rumours about Calleigh. "I'm sure if there's something we need to know, or if anything's confirmed, Horatio or Calleigh will let us know."

"Yeah." Ryan nodded. "I was just wondering… well never mind. I should get back to work." Ryan headed back down the hallway where he had come from. What was that about?

"Whatever." Eric muttered under his breath as he picked up the piece of paper Calleigh had given him earlier. _Richard Houston: 574—7823, _her neat scrawl read. He chuckled, shaking his head in amazement at the variety of things Calleigh was talented at. It was then Valera entered the room.

"Hey Eric." She smiled brightly at him.

"Valera, what's up?" He asked.

"Well, nothing really, I was just wondering… do you know what happened to Calleigh this morning?"

"Why does everyone keep asking me that?" Eric furrowed his brow in frustration. "Well, everyone knows you and Calleigh are pretty close… and you did come back to the lab with her…" Valera trailed off.

"No. I have no idea what happened really. Vague details, but nothing definite. Have something you'd like to share?  
"No, no." Valera answered quickly. Too quickly. "Calleigh can tell you anything if she needs to know."

"Valera, just tell me now." Eric sighed.

"If you insist." Valera gave an overdramatic sigh. "Calleigh got in a fight at a crime scene this morning. Well, not really a fight, from what I've heard, but she was attacked."

"Attacked?" Eric's eyes grew wide. "She seemed fine when I talked to her."

"When she ran off with the murder suspect?" Valera asked.

"Valera, please don't go off starting any rumours, okay?" Eric pleaded.

"I won't Eric, I promise." Valera nodded honestly. She couldn't help if she'd already said things to a few people... but she wouldn't say anymore now. "But I'd better get back to my lab… more samples to run…"

"See you later Valera." Eric called after her. He really hoped she meant it when she said she wouldn't start any rumours about Calleigh. That was the last thing she needed this morning, he was sure.

--&

"Okay Calleigh, here we go." Horatio told her. She just nodded. "Do you know a woman named Michelle Swank?"

"Yes." Calleigh answered.

"In what capacity?" Horatio pressed.

"My cousin." Calleigh answered. "I haven't seen her in seven years though. Well, besides this morning." She saved Horatio the trouble of asking the question, since she knew how he ran his interrogations.

"Okay." He decided how to continue from there. "Did you two have problems?"

"To say the least." Calleigh rolled her eyes. "We were always competing growing up and eventually it got out of control."

"Out of control… how?" Horatio wondered.

"Well, like this morning for example. Michelle has… well she has some problems, mental ones." Calleigh answered seriously. "She is a control freak who had to be the best at everything. I could beat her at things and she hated me for it, and often got angry and had outbursts like today."

"Do you know what initiated today's outburst if you hadn't seen her in seven years?" Horatio asked.

"Well, not really, as I haven't seen her in seven years." Calleigh said. "As far as I knew, she was still living in Louisiana, so it could have been as simple as my Mother wanting me to come home for a vacation… mentioning me in conversation…"

"This is a pretty serious case of jealousy." Horatio commented.

"I guess so." Calleigh shrugged, "But she does have physiological problems, it's really not her fault."

"She seemed pretty sane to me." Horatio shrugged.

"That's the scary part." Calleigh told him. "She is."

--&

A/N: Okay, totally weird I bet. But yeah, okay. So what is everyone thinking about this chapter? Let me know, and I'll love you lotss!


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine

A/N: So my play-thing I was in ended last night. And I'm sad. Real sad. I miss it and everyone from there so much already. . But I will write to make it better. Actually my goal, by the end of the week, or sooner, is to finish nearly all my fanfictions. I know. Let's see how I do!

--&

Eric was still in the layout room wondering why Calleigh wouldn't have told him that she had been attacked. But, he supposed, she really didn't have much of a chance to tell him that between making near escapes from creepy, infatuated murders and driving as quickly as possible back to the lab, her thanking him all the way. He had to put the whole dilemma out of his mind and focus on his work. At least he had to try, but really, all he had to do here was run Richard Houston's name through fingerprint databases, and that could take hours, if not days. He should go see how Calleigh was doing… he knew he wouldn't get anymore work done if there had been any more to do if he didn't go talk to her first anyways. And off he went.

--&

"Can you explain this to me more thoroughly?" Horatio requested, wanting to roll his eyes at the 'professional' way they had to conduct the interrogation.

"Well, she is compulsively jealous and competitive, but technically, she's not mentally insane. Not insane enough to go to a physc ward, anyway." Calleigh attempted.

"I see." Horatio wasn't sure what to make of the situation.

"I know it's a confusing situation… I don't understand it myself." Calleigh admitted, "But I'm trying my best to convey what I do know to you."

"And I appreciate that." Horatio smiled. "Is that all you know?"

"Yes." Calleigh nodded and Horatio turned off the tape recorder that he knew IAB would want to listen to as soon as he left the room.

"Sorry about the formalities." Horatio smiled. "Are you doing okay?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine. I should be used to this by now." She smiled at him. "But I'm going to go see how Eric's doing with that lead, okay?"

"Sure." Horatio nodded, watching her walk off to meet Eric who, due to some ironic timing, was currently walking down the hallway towards them. As he popped the tape out of the machine and slipped it in his pocket to go and give to Rick Stetler, he noticed, through the glass walls of the Miami PD that IAB may have a different sort of issue to sort out with his team in the near future. But, he supposed, it'd be worth it in the end.

--&

"Eric!" Calleigh exclaimed with a bright smile. She was happy to see him, although they hadn't been apart for more than an hour.

"Hey Cal!" They hugged, sort of. They both wanted to hug at the least, but it _was _work, and if they were starting a relationship they would need to stay professional about it. "Were you attacked this morning?" He regretted being so blunt as he saw her smile slowly slide off her face. "Sorry, I just… needed to know."

"Yes." Calleigh nodded, "But maybe we shouldn't talk about this here."

"After shift?" Eric suggested.

"Sounds good." Calleigh nodded. "But I've got to get to my lab, I heard Ryan got a shootout, and I'm sure he's dying for my help."

"Okay." Eric nodded. "See you then." He wanted to laugh at how awkward things were between them at work. They were both waiting for some sort of new, definitive ending to this conversation now that they were semi romantically involved. A kiss? A hug? Possibly, but they knew it couldn't happen at work, so they both awkwardly walked away. To any of the regular lab gossipers this awkwardness would have been seen as I sign that the two close friends were having a falling out, but to them, and unbeknownst to them, Horatio, it was the start of so much more.

--&

Michelle sat patiently in the holding cell as she waited for her lawyer to arrive. He'd gotten her out of situations before, and he'd better get her out of this one as well. No one knew that she was in Miami, well, she supposed that Calleigh did, but that was beside the point. Calleigh never called home anyways, and they still liked her better. Michelle was always there, she was with them, there for every important event that Calleigh missed in her family's life back in Louisiana, yet they still loved Calleigh more. And there was only one thing she could do to change that.

"Michelle," She heard her lawyers voice as he entered the room.

"Drew." She stood to meet him. "Can you get me out of here?"

"I'll try my best." He nodded. "Officer, is there someplace private my client and I could go to talk?" He asked.

"I'll go and find a suitable location." The officer nodded, leaving the room.

"What'd you do this time?" Drew sighed. Michelle was unbeatably one of his tougher clients. He knew she had a sever case of jealousy, and it got her into trouble more often than he'd like.

"Calleigh." She sighed. He knew all about Calleigh, though he'd never seen or met the woman, he knew the havoc she reeked in her clients life.

"What happened this time?" Drew sighed again.

"I attacked her." Michelle admitted.

"You what?" Drew was astonished. He'd known Michelle to talk about doing such a thing, but she'd never gone so far as to actually _attack_ the woman. She'd had the occasional assault charge, but those were all dismissed due to certain events in Michelle's past, but an attack on her cousin was something completely different. Especially since her cousin was an officer of the law.

"I attacked her." Michelle repeated, almost nonchalantly.

"What has your physiatrist said about channelling your anger?" Drew demanded.

"I couldn't help it." Michelle told him.

"Where and when?" Drew asked.

"This morning at a club." Michelle answered.

"A club in the morning?" Drew furrowed his brow.

"Someone was killed there the night before. I had been there, trying to channel my anger," She rolled her eyes at him, "And then I saw Calleigh."

"You didn't notice her the night before?" Drew wondered.

"She was investigating the murder." Michelle rolled her eyes again. Sometimes Drew felt like he was dealing with a teenager, not a woman in her late twenties. Just then the officer re-entered the room.

"We've got an investigation room where you can talk." He informed them. "Right this way." Drew shot Michelle a disapproving glance as they followed the officer out of the room, Michelle in handcuffs, Drew walking in front of her. These next few days were going to be tough, he could tell already. He hadn't even met the infamous Calleigh Duquesne yet, and he could already feel a migraine coming on. The things he'd do for his job.

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A/N: Hah I'm on an updating rampage tonight! Score! I hope that these updates are not all too rushed or anything, definitely tell me if they are, or if they aren't.


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: Okay, so due to lack of inspiration, I have decided to start at the top of my list, which alphabetically is listed backwards for some reason, and attempt to finish off some stories. This one is first! So here we go.

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"You were at a nightclub, a murder happened to occur and your cousin, who you happen to hate, conveniently shows up and you attack her."

"My client says she was provoked." Drew defended.

"We have witnesses who say she wasn't." Horatio challenged.

"They don't know what it was like." Michelle interjected.

"I think it's best if you let me do the talking." Drew suggested quietly to Michelle.

"Are you sure you want this man to speak for you? Or do you want to tell me what really happened? We have witnesses, DNA… we have you for assault on an officer."

"Michelle…" Drew warned as she considered her options. Horatio gave her a look. He'd seen countless suspects fall for the line, and sincerely hoped Michelle would do the same. He had an inkling that he did not understand the full magnitude at which Michelle had disrupted Calleigh's life in the past, and would continue to if no action was taken against her.

"I need to tell him why."

"You don't." Drew sighed. He knew he couldn't get her out of every situation, but there was always such a sense of satisfaction when he got Michelle out of something, because when she got into trouble, it was always a difficult case.

"I do. He doesn't understand."

"You should let me explain."

"You don't understand either. You have to let me tell him why."

"Michelle," Drew sighed, his headache growing in strength.

"Ever since Calleigh and I were little kids, everyone liked her more than me. As teenagers, not only did she get better grades than me despite the fact that I'm smarter, but all the guys I liked always liked her. She didn't even apologize when she was prom queen even though I wanted it more than anything."

"So you continuously harass and assault her?" Horatio wasn't hearing anything original. Jealousy was often a motive for murders.

"I needed to make her life normal. Everyone liked her. Everything always went her way. That doesn't happen, it can't." Michelle explained calmly.

"With all due respect," Horatio began, "I don't think you know your cousin as well as you think you do."

"You don't understand. I had to attack her. I… she hasn't been home in years. And everyone _still _likes her better. Elizabeth, my sister… she asked Calleigh to be the maid of honor in her wedding. I'm her sister. And Calleigh had to beat me there too. She had to ruin that too."

"Michelle, I think he…"

"Let me finish. She ruins everything in my life. She hates me…" She was interrupted by Ryan knocking on the door to the interrogation room.

"Excuse me," Horatio nodded slightly to the pair before exiting the room. "Mr. Wolfe?"

"The suspect from this morning? Harrison, they picked him up fifteen minutes ago. Calleigh met with IAB earlier to explain the situation and they cleared the information she collected. He's down in booking."

"Where's Calleigh?"

"Right here Horatio, I came down to find you as soon as Ryan paged me."

"Okay, I need to ask you something."

"Sure." She nodded, looking past him to the interrogation room where Michelle was discussing something with her lawyer.

"Are you the maid of honor at your cousin Elizabeth's wedding?"

"Yes, why?" Calleigh answered.

"When did you receive the invitation?" Horatio continued.

"Months ago. The wedding is in a few weeks, that's why I took a few days off. Why does it matter?"

"I can't tell you that right now,"

"Conflict of interest." Calleigh supplied with a sigh.

"Right, but as soon as I can, I'll let you know. Now I don't want you anywhere near where Harrison is, so can you do me a favour and stay in the ballistics lab?"

"Will do." Calleigh nodded, fully understanding the danger she could be in if she was to have a run in with Harrison. Horatio headed back into the interrogation room.

"Michelle, would you like to tell me the real reason you attacked Calleigh?"

"I told you, my sister's wedding…"

"That happened months ago." Michelle cursed under her breath. Drew looked surprised.

"Michelle, what aren't you telling me?" She bit her lip, then her eyes widened in shock as she looked through the glass walls. Horatio and Drew quickly followed her gaze and Horatio wasn't surprised to see Harrison being led down the hallway. Michelle quickly got out of her seat and opened the door.

"Harrison!" She called and he turned around.

"What did you tell them?" He accused. She stayed silent. "What did you tell them?" He repeated, louder this time.

"Nothing. I didn't tell them anything. I wouldn't do that to you."

"You're lying. You said something." He called as he was led further down the hallway and into an interrogation room of his own.

"Michelle if you could come back inside," Horatio told her and she complied. "How do you know Harrison?" He asked once she'd sat down.

"He's my boyfriend." She answered after a moment of silence.

"Michelle, in light of these new facts, I think we need to talk…" Drew began only to have Horatio cut him off.

"You saw him with Calleigh," Horatio stated, antagonizing her.

"She had to steal him too. He loved me. He loved me and she couldn't have that. She had to ruin it." Michelle yelled. Horatio stood silently, unsurprised again. He had the ability to stay a few steps ahead of his suspects in his head, thus he was very rarely surprised.

"Michelle, did you have anything to do with the victims in the club this morning?"

"How could I know who they were? I just went there with Harrison… he had the pictures, the names… I just had to get the gun into the club and give it to him. I didn't shoot anyone."

"Michelle," Drew inhaled sharply. This was a far cry from assault.

"Michelle," Horatio drawled, a smile on his face. "You just confessed to being an accessory to murder."

"But I didn't kill anyone. If she hadn't have come, hadn't have ruined it…"

"Then you would have gotten away. She was doing her job." Horatio finished for her. "Take her to booking." He told the officer as he went off in search of Calleigh.

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A/N: So in reality, she probably wouldn't have been stupid enough to confess so easily, but she does have mental problems haha that unfolded conveniently for me. Reviews are love!


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11:

"Horatio," Calleigh smiled as he entered her lab where, as instructed, she was staying.

"We got her." He informed her, and she sighed in relief.

"For assault?"

"Accessory to murder." Horatio corrected, and Calleigh's looked turned from relief to shock. "Harrison was her boyfriend."

"Oh god." Calleigh sighed. "Thanks for telling me Horatio."

"No problem. You going to be okay?" Calleigh debated on talking to Horatio, but then saw Eric walking down the hall towards the lab and decided against it.

"Yeah." She nodded with a reassuring smile. Eric was coming; she was going to be okay.

"Alright, well I'm going to go see how Ryan's doing with Harrison, I'll keep you posted."

"Thanks." Calleigh smiled as he passed Eric on his way out of the lab.

"Hey Cal," Eric greeted as he walked in.

"They got her for accessory to murder. Harrison was her boyfriend." Calleigh told him.

"That's awesome," Eric smiled. "She really bothered you your whole life, didn't she?" Calleigh nodded.

"I feel awful." Eric looked at her questioningly.

"Harrison was her boyfriend Eric, she thought I was making a pass at him."

"If someone were to make a pass at me, would you viciously attack them?" He asked in attempts to put the situation into context.

"If I had major mental issues and had been severely jealous of the person my whole life, maybe." Calleigh shrugged. She couldn't shake the feeling that she had ruined Michelle's life. Michelle may have hated her, but they grew up together. They were family. "She was my cousin Eric."

"It's not your fault. You were doing your job."

"In an unethical way." Calleigh interjected.

"IAB approved of it."

"Only because I got the guy."

"Exactly. You got the guy. She was an accessory to murder. That had nothing to do with you. You were the reason they got caught, Cal." She sighed. He was right.

"Yeah. But what am I going to tell Elizabeth? I tried to convince her that Michelle should be her maid of honor, not me. I never once intentionally hurt her."

"You're not like that Cal, I know you didn't. But what's got you thinking about this? Didn't Horatio tell you that Harrison was Michelle's boyfriend less than five minutes ago?"

"It was something Valera said earlier, it made me think about everything that happened between Michelle and I."

"What did she say?" Eric wondered.

"She just mentioned how ego boosting it'd be to have someone constantly being openly jealous of you." Eric considered it for a moment, and had to partially agree with Valera. Other's jealousy could be flattering. "And at first it was. As a fifteen-year-old girl competing with her cousin, it was flattering when she'd be jealous of the way guys liked me, or of my popularity… but after a while it made everything less fun. I could barley enjoy my prom because I knew Michelle wasn't even in the running for Prom Queen. She didn't know that I tried to take myself out of the race and get her put in my place. She didn't ask me to and afterwards she wouldn't let me explain. She never let me explain." Suddenly Eric felt guilty for having thought that it would be flattering.

"I…" He began, unaware of what to say to make her feel better.

"It's okay Eric, I just sort of needed to get all of that out. I'd never really talked about it before. Vaguely, but not really."

"Well, I'm honored you chose to talk to me." He winked.

"It's already nine o'clock," She glanced down at her watch. "Too late for dinner?"

"Well, it's too bad you don't have a terribly handsome boyfriend who could cook you an amazing dinner."

"It is too bad. The situation sounds very enticing." Calleigh giggled. "But it's okay, I love you anyways."

"I'm wounded." He pouted. "And I can cook!"

"Prove it."

"I thought I already did," He laughed. "Do you not remember last night?"

"I think you're going to have to refresh my memory," She winked playfully as she closed the file she'd been writing in previous to being interrupted by Horatio.

"Let's go." He smiled taking her hand in his.

"You know what Eric?" She asked as they exited her lab.

"What?"

"I'm glad I have a terribly handsome boyfriend who is an amazing cook."

"You should be." He smiled cockily, and she hit him on the arm. "Oh, I'm sorry. That was a compliment. Thank you."

"Your welcome." She rolled her eyes. "Now let's _actually _go home. I'm hungry."

"Home. I like that." Eric smiled, taking a moment to be overly corny.

"Eric,"  
"What?"

"The food."

"Right. Food." He laughed as they made their way out of the lab. As they made their way home.

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CORNY(#$8092! Hahaahha! Oh man. But that's okay. I finished one! My first Miami fiction ever hah though I've written like, way too many and finished many of them already. But it is a good moment. Okay. Review please!


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